Detection system for a multilayer film and method thereof

ABSTRACT

A detection system for a multilayer film is provided. The detection system for a multilayer film includes a light source device, a first image capture device, a second image capture device and an image processing device. The light source device projects a pair of parallel incident light to a transparent multilayer film obliquely. The pair of parallel incident light is projected onto the transparent multilayer film for producing and enabling a forward scattered light and a back scattered light to be projected therefrom. The first image capture device captures the back scattered light to produce a first image. The second image capture device captures the forward scattered light to produce a second image. The image processing device is coupled to the first image capture device and the second image capture device. The image processing device is used to compares and detect the differences between the second image and the first image.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a detection system for a multilayerfilm and method thereof.

BACKGROUND

Generally, organic light emitting diode (OLED) is produced using amanufacturing process of multilayer film. It is noted that the electricproperties of the OLED could be adversely affected if there areparticle/residual contamination happened in the manufacturing process.Therefore, it is essential to have a cleaning procedure to be performedright after each and every manufacturing step in the process forminimizing the surface particle/residual contamination, and therebyensuring the quality of the resulting OLED.

For those particle detection systems and methods that are currentlyavailable, although there is an advanced detection method oflaser-scanning point excitation being developed, it can not be appliedas an on-line detection system since its detection speed is still notfast enough.

In addition, since OLED is generally formed as a multilayer filmstructure that is specifically characterized by not only the thinthickness of the multilayer film structure, but also the thin thicknessfor each film in the multilayer film structure, it will be difficult toidentify the exact defect location in the multilayer film structure bythe use of the aforesaid conventional detection methods as any defect ineach film of the multilayer film structure will be detected in eachdetection without means for identifying whether the defect is located atthe outer layer or inner layer. Therefore, those conventional detectionmethods can not be applied as an effective defect analysis in OLEDmanufacturing and the OLED manufacturing process control as well.

Therefore, it is in need of a detection system for a multilayer film andmethod thereof capable of overcoming the aforesaid shortcomings.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a detection system for a multilayer filmand method thereof, using that the location of any particle can bedetected and identified no matter it is located at the inner layer orouter layer in a transparent multilayer film structure by the use of amatching optical system design. That is, the detection system and methodof the present disclosure not only can be used for detecting surfacedefect in a transparent multilayer film structure, but also can furtherbe used as an effective defect analysis and manufacturing processcontrol specifically for the detection on each single layer in thetransparent multilayer film structure.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a detection system fora multilayer film, which comprises: a light source device, a first imagecapture device, a second image capture device and an image processingdevice. The light source device projects a pair of parallel incidentlight to a transparent multilayer film obliquely. The pair of parallelincident light is projected onto a transparent multilayer film forproducing and enabling a forward scattered light and a back scatteredlight to be emitted therefrom. The first image capture device capturesthe back scattered light to produce a first image. The second imagecapture device captures the forward scattered light to produce a secondimage. The image processing device is coupled to the first image capturedevice and the second image capture device. The image processing deviceis used to compare and detect the differences between the second imageand the first image.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a detection method fora multilayer film, which comprises the steps of: projecting a pair ofparallel incident light to a transparent multilayer film obliquely forproducing and enabling a forward scattered light and a back scatteredlight to be emitted therefrom; enabling the forward scattered light andthe back scattered light to be captured respectively so as to generate afirst image and a second image accordingly; and comparing the differencebetween the second image and the first image.

In the aforesaid detection system and method for a multilayer film, acomparison is enabled to identify the differences between images thatare generated by the use of a forward scattered light and a backscattered light as the forward scattered light and the back scatteredlight is produced by the projection of light onto a transparentmultilayer film, and since different films in the transparent multilayerfilm are formed with different reflection coefficients, the lightintensities of the forward scattered light and the back scattered lightwill be different, and that can be used in the image comparisonresulting from the forward scattered light and the back scattered lightfor determining the location of any particle no matter it is located atthe inner layer or outer layer in the transparent multilayer film. Thatis, the detection system and method of the present disclosure canfurther be used as an effective defect analysis and manufacturingprocess control specifically for the detection on each single layer inthe transparent multilayer film structure.

Further scope of applicability of the present application will becomemore apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However,it should be understood that the detailed description and specificexamples, while indicating exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, aregiven by way of illustration only, since various changes andmodifications within the spirit and scope of the disclosure will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawingswhich are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitativeof the present disclosure and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a detection system for amultilayer film according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting steps performed in a detection methodfor a multilayer film of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting steps for comparing the second image tothe first image of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram showing a first image according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram showing a second image according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation,numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent,however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devicesare schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a detection system for amultilayer film according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. InFIG. 1, a detection system for a multilayer film 100 is provided fordetecting a transparent multilayer film 20, in which the transparentmultilayer film 20 is composed of a first film 21, a second film 22, athird film 23 and a fourth film 24, and there is a first particle 31existed on the surface P1 of the first film 21, while there is a secondparticle 32 existed on the interface P2 of the second film 22.

In this embodiment, the transparent multilayer film 20 is substantiallyan organic light-emitting diode (OLED) that is specificallycharacterized not only by the thin thickness for each film in the OLED,but also by that different films in the OLED are formed with differentreflection coefficients. In an embodiment, the first film 21 can be aTCO film, the second film 22 can be a SiO₂ film, the third film 23 canbe a diffuser film and the fourth film 24 can be a PEN film, whiledifferent films are formed with different reflection coefficients, e.g.the reflection coefficient of the first film 21 is 1.6 while thereflection coefficient of the second film 22 is 1.5.

In this embodiment, the detection system 100 comprises: a light sourcedevice 110, a first image capture device 120, a second image capturedevice 130 and an image processing device 140. The light source device110 is used for projecting a parallel pair of a first incident light L1and a second incident light L2 to a transparent multilayer film 20obliquely in a manner that the first incident light L1 and the secondincident light L2 are projected parallelly in a direction sandwiching afirst angle θ₁ with a normal direction N of the transparent multilayerfilm 20. It is noted that, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the normaldirection N is set to be a datum line of 0 degree while defining apositive direction to the left of the normal direction N and a negativedirection to the right of the normal direction N. As the light sourcedevice 110 of FIG. 1 is disposed at the left to the normal direction N,the degree of the first angle θ₁ is increasing from the normal directionN to the surface P1 of the first film 21, by that the degree of thefirst angle θ₁ is ranged between 30 degree and 90 degree. In FIG. 1, thefirst angle θ₁ is set to be 70 degree. However, in another embodiment,as the light source device 110 can be disposed at the right to thenormal direction N, consequently the degree of the first angle θ₁ isranged between −30 degree and −90 degree, that is, it can be asymmetrically opposite angle of −70 degree comparing to that shown inFIG. 1.

In this embodiment, the first incident light L1 is projected onto thefirst particle 31 on the surface P1 of the first film 21 of thetransparent multilayer film 20 for producing and enabling a forwardscattered light S1A and a back scattered light SIB to be emittedtherefrom in a manner that the forward scattered light S1A is emittingto the front of the projection of the first incident light L1, while thebackward scattered light SIB is emitting to the rear of the projectionof the first incident light L1 Similarly, the second incident light L2is projected onto the second particle 32 on the interface P2 of thesecond film 22 of the transparent multilayer film 20 for producing andenabling a forward scattered light S2A and a back scattered light S2B tobe emitted therefrom in a manner that the forward scattered light S2A isemitting to the front of the projection of the second incident light L2,while the backward scattered light S2B is emitting to the rear of theprojection of the second incident light L2.

In this embodiment, the detection system 100 is used mainly fordetecting particles with diameter larger than 0.3 μm, so that forparticles with diameter that is approaching to the wavelength of, thescattering in the system similar to Mie scattering. When the firstincident light L1 and the second incident light L2 are projected ontothe transparent multilayer film 20 for producing particles of Miescattering with a diameter larger than 0.3 μm, consequently the lightintensity of the forward scattered light is different from that of thecorresponding backward scattered light. In an embodiment, the incidentlight from the light source device 110 is a white light with wavelengthof 550 nm, so that the appropriate particle should have a particlediameter larger than 0.5 μm, that is, the diameter of the particle to bedetected in the system is adjustable according to the wavelength of theincident light.

In this embodiment, the light intensities of the reflections fromdifferent forward scattered light are different according to thedifferent films of different reflection coefficients in the transparentmultilayer film 20. In FIG. 1, the reflection coefficient of air is 1,the reflection coefficient of the first film 21 is 1.6, the reflectioncoefficient of the second film 22 is 1.5, by that the first reflectionrate counted from the projection of the first incident light L1travelling in air to the first film 21 is 14%, and the first reflectionrate counted from the projection of the second incident light L2travelling in air to the second film 22 is 0.1%. Thereby, the lightintensity of the forward scattered light S1A resulted from the firstincident light L1 is larger than the light intensity of the forwardscattered light S2A resulted from the second incident light L2.

In this embodiment, the first image capture device 120 is disposed nextto the light source device 110, which can be a camera and is used forcapturing the backward scattered light SIB and the backward scatteredlight S2B, that are resulted respectively from the first incident lightL1 and the second incident light L2, so as to be used for generating afirst image. It is noted that the first image capture device 120 islocated at the left to the normal direction N while causing a secondangle θ₂ to be sandwiched between the first image capture device 120 andthe normal direction N. Thereby, the second angle θ₂ is ranged between30 degree and 90 degree, which is different from the first angle θ₁. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the first angle θ₁ is defined to be 70degree and the second angle θ₂ is defined to be 50 degree. In anotherembodiment, as the first image capture device 120 is located at theright to the normal direction N, the second angle θ₂ is consequentlyranged between −30 degree and −90 degree, that is, it is a symmetricallyopposite angle to that shown in FIG. 1, which can be −50 degree.

In the present embodiment, the second image capture device 130 is alsodisposed next to the light source device 110, which can be a camera andis used for capturing the forward scattered light S1A and the forwardscattered light S2A, that are resulted respectively from the firstincident light L1 and the second incident light L2, so as to be used forgenerating a second image. It is noted that the second image capturedevice 120 is located at the right to the normal direction N. That is,the first image capture device 120 and the second image capture device130 are located respectively and correspondingly at two opposite sidesof the normal direction N. Thereby, there is a third angle θ₃ to besandwiched between the second image capture device 130 and the normaldirection N of the transparent multilayer film 20, whereas the thirdangle θ₃ is ranged between −30 degree and −90 degree, which is differentfrom the first angle θ₁. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the firstangle θ₁ is defined to be 70 degree, the second angle θ₂ is defined tobe 50 degree, while the third angle θ₃ is −50 degree, which is asymmetrically opposite angle to the second angle θ₂. In anotherembodiment, as the second image capture device 130 is located at theleft to the normal direction N while the first image capture device 120is located at the right to the normal direction N, the third angle θ₃ isconsequently ranged between 30 degree and 90 degree, that is, it is asymmetrically opposite angle to that shown in FIG. 1, which can be 50degree. Nevertheless, in further another embodiment when the third angleθ₃ is not defined to be the symmetrically opposite angle to the secondangle θ₂, an additional calibration device or process is required forcalibrating the images captured by the first image capture device 120and the second image capture device 130.

In the present embodiment, the image processing device 140 is coupled tothe first image capture device 120 and the second image capture device130 and is used for processing the first image and the second image thatare captured respectively from the first image capture device 120 andthe second image capture device 130 for comparing and detecting thedifferences between the second image and the first image. Sincedifferent films in the transparent multilayer film 20 are formed withdifferent reflection coefficients, the light intensities of the backwardand the forward scattered light emitted from different films will bedifferent, and that can be used by the image processing device 140 in acomparison comparing images formed from different forward and backscattered light of different light intensities for determining thelocation of any particle no matter it is located at the inner layer orouter layer in the transparent multilayer film.

For instance, in the first image, the backward scattered light SIB andthe backward scattered light S2B, that are resulted respectively fromthe first incident light L1 and the second incident light L2, are usedas a basis of reference; and in the second image, as the reflection ofthe first incident light L1 onto the first film 21 is different from thereflection of the first incident light L1 onto the second film 22 whilethe reflection coefficient of the first film 21 is larger than that ofthe second film 22, the light intensity of the forward scattered lightS1A will be larger than the light intensity of the forward scatteredlight S1A, and further the light intensity of the forward scatteredlight S1A in the second image that are produced by the first incidentlight L1 will be larger than the light intensity of the backwardscattered light SIB in the first image that are also produced by thefirst incident light L1. Consequently, by comparing the differencebetween the first image and the second image, the particle 31 can bedetermined and identified to be located on the surface P1 of the firstfilm 21. Similarly, the light intensity of the forward scattered lightS2A in the second image that are produced by the second incident lightL2 will be smaller than the light intensity of the backward scatteredlight S2B in the first image that are also produced by the secondincident light L2. Consequently, by comparing the difference between thefirst image and the second image, the particle 32 can be determined andidentified to be located on the interface P2 of the second film 22.Therefore, by comparing two images formed from different forwardscattered light S2A of different light intensities, the system andmethod of the present disclosure is able to determine the location of aparticle no matter it is located at the inner layer or outer layer inthe transparent multilayer film 20.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting steps performed in a detection methodfor a multilayer film of the present disclosure. The method S100 of FIG.2 is adapted for the detection system 100 shown in FIG. 1.

The detection system of FIG. 2 comprises the step S110 to the step S130.

At step S110, a pair of parallel incident light is projected to atransparent multilayer film obliquely for producing and enabling aforward scattered light and a back scattered light to be emittedtherefrom. It is noted that the light intensity of the forward scatteredlight is different from that of the backward scattered light.

Taking the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 for example, the light sourcedevice 110 projects a first incident light L1 and a second incidentlight L2 obliquely to a transparent multilayer film 20. In detail, thelight source device 110 projects a first incident light L1 and a secondincident light L2 in a direction for causing a first angle θ₁ to besandwiched between the first incident light L1 and a second incidentlight L2 and a normal direction N of the transparent multilayer film 20.In an embodiment, the first angle θ₁ is defined to be 70 degree. As thetransparent multilayer film 20 contains particles that are larger enoughfor causing Mie scattering, which has a diameter larger than 0.3 μm,light intensity of the forward scattered light is different from that ofthe corresponding backward scattered light.

At step S120, the forward scattered light and the back scattered lightare captured respectively so as to generate a first image and a secondimage accordingly.

Taking the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 for example, the first imagecapture device 120 and the second image capture device 130 are locatedrespectively and correspondingly at two opposite sides of the normaldirection N for enabling a second angle θ₂ to be sandwiched between thefirst image capture device 120 and the normal direction N of thetransparent multilayer film 20 and also enabling a third angle θ₃ to besandwiched between the second image capture device 130 and the normaldirection N of the transparent multilayer film 20. Thereby, the secondangle θ₂ is different from the first angle θ₁, and also the third angleθ₃ is different from the first angle θ₁ while enabling the third angleθ₃ to be a symmetrically opposite angle to the second angle θ₂. In anembodiment, the first angle θ₁ is 70 degree, the second angle θ₂ is 50,while third angle θ₃ is −50 degree. By disposing the first image capturedevice 120 and the second image capture device 130 respectively at anangle different from the disposition angle of the projection directionof the light source device 110, the first image capture device 120 andthe second image capture device 130 can be prevented from receivingunwanted reflection.

Using the aforesaid configuration, the first image capture device 120 isused for capturing the backward scattered light SIB and the backwardscattered light S2B, that are resulted respectively from the firstincident light L1 and the second incident light L2, so as to be used forproducing a first image, and similarly the second image capture device130 is used for capturing the forward scattered light S1A and theforward scattered light S2A, that are resulted respectively from thefirst incident light L1 and the second incident light L2, so as to beused for producing a second image.

Thereafter, the flow proceeds to step S130. At step S130, the secondimage is compared with the first image. For further detaileddescription, please refer to FIG. 3, FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B.

At step S132, the first image and the second image are detectedrespectively for determining whether there are particles being generatedon the first image and the second image. As shown in FIG. 4A, there is afirst image 40A being produced by the first image capture device 120using the backward scattered light SIB and the backward scattered lightS2B, that are resulted respectively from the first incident light L1 andthe second incident light L2. In the first image 40A, there are fiveparticles 50A˜50E being detected. In addition, there is a second image40B being produced by the second image capture device 130 using theforward scattered light S1A and the forward scattered light S2A, thatare resulted respectively from the first incident light L1 and thesecond incident light L2. In the second image 40B, there are fourparticles 60A˜60D being detected.

At step 134, with reference to FIG. 3, the positions of the fiveparticles 50A˜50E on the first image 40A are searched and located whilethe positions of the four particles 60A˜60D on the second image 40B arealso searched and located.

At step S136, the position of the five particles on the first image 40Aare mapped to the corresponding position of the four particles 60A˜60Don the second image 40B. In the present embodiment, an imageregistration method can be used for determining and identifying whichparticles in the second image 40B is most similar to the one particleselected from the first image 40A. In an embodiment, the particle 50A ofthe first image 40A is mapped with the particle 60A of the second image40B, the particle 50B of the first image 40A is mapped with the particle60B of the second image 40B, the particle 50C of the first image 40A ismapped with the particle 60C of the second image 40B, and the particle50D of the first image 40A is mapped with the particle 60D of the secondimage 40B, but there is no particle in the second image 40B that can mapwith the particle 50E in the first image 40A.

At step S138, the intensity difference between the correspondingparticles on the first and the second images are compared. In theaforesaid embodiment as there is no particle in the second image 40Bthat can map with the particle 50E in the first image 40A, the particle50E can be identified to be a particle existed in the inner layer of thetransparent multilayer film 20. In another embodiment as the particle50C of the first image 40A is mapped with the particle 60C of the secondimage 40B and as the light intensity of the particle 60C is smaller thanthe light intensity of the particle 50C, the particle 60C, that iscorresponding to the particle 50C, is identified to be a particleexisted in the inner layer of the transparent multilayer film 20. Inanother embodiment as the particle 50A of the first image 40A is mappedwith the particle 60A of the second image 40B and as the light intensityof the particle 60AC is larger than the light intensity of the particle50A, the particle 60A, that is corresponding to the particle 50A, isidentified to be a particle existed on the surface P1 of the first film21 in the transparent multilayer film 20. That is, by comparing thelight intensity difference between two corresponding particles, thelocation of the particles can be determined no matter it is located atthe inner layer or outer layer in the transparent multilayer film.

To sum up, in the aforesaid detection system and method for a multilayerfilm, a comparison is enabled to identify the differences between imagesthat are generated by the use of a forward scattered light and a backscattered light as the forward scattered light and the back scatteredlight is produced by the projection of light onto a transparentmultilayer film, and since different films in the transparent multilayerfilm are formed with different reflection coefficients, the lightintensities of the forward scattered light and the back scattered lightwill be different, and that can be used in the image comparisonresulting from the forward scattered light and the back scattered lightfor determining the location of any particle no matter it is located atthe inner layer or outer layer in the transparent multilayer film. Thatis, the detection system and method of the present disclosure canfurther be used as an effective defect analysis and manufacturingprocess control specifically for the detection on each single layer inthe transparent multilayer film structure.

With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized thatthe optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the disclosure,to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function andmanner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent andobvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships tothose illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification areintended to be encompassed by the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A detection system for a multilayer film,comprising: a light source device, projecting a pair of parallelincident light to a transparent multilayer film obliquely for producingand enabling a forward scattered light and a back scattered light to beemitted therefrom; a first image capture device, capturing the backscattered light to produce a first image; a second image capture device,capturing the forward scattered light to produce a second image; and animage processing device, coupling to the first image capture device andthe second image capture device for comparing and detecting thedifferences between the second image and the first image.
 2. Thedetection system of claim 1, wherein the pair of parallel incident lightis projected in a direction sandwiching a first angle with a normaldirection of the transparent multilayer film.
 3. The detection system ofclaim 2, wherein the first angle is ranged between −30 degree and −90degree.
 4. The detection system of claim 2, wherein the first angle isranged between 30 degree and 90 degree.
 5. The detection system of claim2, wherein the first image capture device is disposed in a directionsandwiching a second angle with the normal direction of the transparentmultilayer film in a manner that the second angle and the first angleare different from each other; and the second image capture device isdisposed in a direction sandwiching a third angle with the normaldirection of the transparent multilayer film in a manner that the thirdangle and the first angle are different from each other.
 6. Thedetection system of claim 5, wherein the third angle is a symmetricallyopposite angle to the second angle.
 7. The detection system of claim 5,wherein the second angle is ranged between 30 degree and 90 degree, andthe third angle is ranged between −30 degree and −90 degree.
 8. Thedetection system of claim 5, wherein the second angle is ranged between−30 degree and −90 degree, and the third angle is ranged between 30degree and 90 degree.
 9. The detection system of claim 1, wherein theforward scattered light is emitting to the front of the projection ofthe pair of parallel incident light, while the backward scattered lightis emitting to the rear of the projection of the pair of parallelincident light.
 10. The detection system of claim 1, wherein the lightintensity of the forward scattered light is different from that of thecorresponding backward scattered light.
 11. The detection system ofclaim 1, wherein the image processing device is used for comparing anddetecting the light intensity difference between forward scattered lightof the second image and the backward scattered light of the first image.12. A detection method for a multilayer film, comprising: projecting apair of parallel incident light to a transparent multilayer filmobliquely for producing and enabling a forward scattered light and aback scattered light to be emitted therefrom; enabling the forwardscattered light and the back scattered light to be captured respectivelyso as to generate a first image and a second image accordingly; andcomparing the difference between the second image and the first image.13. The detection method of claim 12, further comprising: providing alight source device for projecting the pair of parallel incident lightto the transparent multilayer film in a direction sandwiching a firstangle to a normal direction of the transparent multilayer film.
 14. Thedetection method of claim 12, further comprising: providing a firstimage capture device and a second image capture device to be disposed ina manner that the first image capture device is disposed in a directionsandwiching a second angle with the normal direction of the transparentmultilayer while enabling the second angle to be different from thefirst angle, and the second image capture device is disposed in adirection sandwiching a third angle with the normal direction of thetransparent multilayer film while enabling the third angle to bedifferent from the first angle.
 15. The detection method of claim 14,wherein the third angle is a symmetrically opposite angle to the secondangle.
 16. The detection method of claim 12, wherein the comparing ofthe difference between the second image and the first image furthercomprising: detecting the first image and the second image respectivelyfor determining whether there are particles being generated on the firstimage and the second image; locating the position of at least oneparticle that is generated on the first image while also locating theposition of at least one particle that is generated on the second image;mapping the position of at least one particle on the first image to thecorresponding position of at least one particle on the second image; andcomparing the intensity difference between the corresponding particleson the first and the second images.
 17. The detection method of claim12, wherein the light intensity of the forward scattered light isdifferent from that of the corresponding backward scattered light.